The First Criminal Section of the Court of Cassation confirmed the conviction for mafia association of a twenty-nine year old from Palermo guilty of having forced traders to purchase the ticket of an illegal lottery linked to the extraction of the numbers of the Lotto.
Everything started from an investigation activity structured through observation services and telephone and environmental interceptions, concerning the operations of the mafia family of central Palermo, part of the Porta Nuova district, as well as the identification
of its members and the role played by each of these. It appears from the intercepted dialogues, according to the Court of Review, that the man had contributed to ensuring control of the territory by the family from central Palermo, personally dealing with extortion activities,
imposing the so-called raffle, thus ensuring an income for the mafia association.
In fact, the Court pointed out that one of the extortion activities carried out in the area, aimed at guaranteeing a constant flow of money in favor of the criminal gang, was precisely the imposition of the so-called raffles, i.e. the purchase of tickets for an illegal lottery, managed by the representatives of the family.
In particular, according to what was reported by a justice collaborator from September to
in the month of June the mafia family organized a raffle for the owners of the commercial activities in the neighborhood, who were forced to pay 10 C a week to secure one of the 90 numbers per week. lotto. The mafia family thus collected 900 euros a week and then paid three bonuses from
150 euros each to traders holding the first number drawn every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on the Palermo wheel, thus earning the remaining 450 euros per week.
